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Italian Alps

Autumn Hiking in the Dazzling Dolomites

You’ll see the imposing peaks of the Dolomites piercing the South Tyrolean sky long before you reach them. This stunning autonomous region the Italians call Alto Adige/Sud Tirol has been a mecca for skiers for decades, but our sights were set on autumn hiking.

The Dolomites have long been a favorite destination for skiers but these mountains are also a hiker’s heaven in summer and fall!

Our destination was Ortesei in Val Gardena, host of the 2024 Skiing World Cup and a paradise for hikers before the snow falls. We headed North from Trento in late September, with a quick stop at Cisalfa—a huge sporting goods store, to pick up warmer hiking clothes for my husband whose plans to wear shorts were thwarted by early cold temperatures. Snow was already falling high in the mountains. Florescent green fleece and hiking pants in hand, off we went to Ortesei.

The views become more spectacular as you wend your way up into the Dolomites– part of the Italian Alps.

After exiting the freeway, the winding roads become increasingly steep as you climb higher into the mountains.  Austrian until after WWI when it became a part of Italy, German is the preferred language in this region where Italian and Austrian culture and cuisine mingle. Everyone we met spoke German, Italian and English (or two of the three languages) while some locals also speak Ladin, a culturally significant language particular to a this area of the Sud Tirol.

German, Italian and Ladin are the three languages spoken in this area of the Sud Tirol.

For this reason, most places have three names—Italian Ortesei is called St. Ulrich in German and Urtijei in Ladin. Along with Santa Cristina and Selva, these three towns comprise the Val Gardena.

You’ll see plenty of sheep, goats and cows as you explore the mountains in the Val Gardena.
Picture perfect, Ortesei is the largest town in the Val Gardena.

We passed storybook dwellings and plenty of cows, sheep and goats before reaching the delightful Alpine town of Ortesei.  Shops specializing in locally produced high- quality carved wooden items, boutiques, art galleries, a lovely church, restaurants, cafes, and bars beckon visitors down the town’s main street—an inviting pedestrian zone. 

Ortesei’s main street, a pedestrian zone, is lined with shops, restaurants, cafes and bars.

The bright yellow Hotel Adler- Dolomiti stands out in its prominent position at the top of the pedestrian zone– our home for the next 10 days.

Market day brings vendors and visitors to town. You’ll find everything from sausage to ski wear for sale!

I’d chosen the Adler-Dolomiti because a stay here includes plenty of autumn activities. Daily guided hikes for varying levels of expertise and fitness, Nordic trekking, Kniepp walks, e-bike tours, Tibetan sound baths, yoga and exercise classes, a world-class spa with a new sauna pavilion, two indoor/outdoor pools, jacuzzi (with spectacular mountain views), a salt grotto, wine tastings, and gourmet dining are all on offer. It’s like the ultimate upscale sleep away camp for adults!

The guided hike to Col Raiser is spectacular and popular with Adler guests. It includes a stop at the Unesco “balcony”.

Activities, events, nightly dinner menus, spa specials, local lore and more are all in The Carpe Diem, The Adler’s daily newsletter available at breakfast in English, German and Italian. Guests can also access this information, and sign-up for activities, at info.adler-dolomiti.com.

There are activities for most levels of fitness at the Adler-Dolomiti. Staff are happy to help you select from the many offerings.

There’s a lot to do here but don’t be surprised to see guests at breakfast, in the lobby, or wandering the premises in their fluffy white Adler robes and slippers.  Many people come just to relax and enjoy the spa. They don’t venture out—nor do they don street attire, except at dinner!

There’s nothing like enjoying a post-hike swim and watching the steam rise from the heated pool while snow falls in the mountains above.

Half board, which we chose and highly recommend, includes an abundant breakfast buffet with cold selections like local yogurt and cheeses, charcuterie, made to order hot items, pastries and fresh baked breads, fruit, cereals, fresh squeezed orange juice and honeycomb—the hearty breakfast every hiker needs to start the day!

The Adler kitchen can pack a picnic lunch for hungry hikers. This first day hike to Furnes gave us a chance to get to know our fellow guests and reconnect with Alexander, who’d led us on hikes last year.

The lunch buffet is not included in half board but is available for a fee and includes hot entrees, cold items, salads, cheeses and dessert.

We chose half board which includes both an abundant breakfast buffet and gourmet dinners daily.
The dinner menu changes nightly and even after a week, there were no repeats.

Dinner starts at 7 pm with a menu that changes daily but always features a salad bar, a choice of appetizers, first courses, second courses and a very satisfying cheese selection and dessert bar. There’s also a nightly vegetarian option. You’ll have the same table and waitstaff each evening of your stay and if you don’t finish your wine, the staff will be happy to cork it and save it for your next dinner.

The weekly Tyrolean buffet included music by this gentleman who turned out to be a local cheese maker. His delicious cheeses were available that evening.

Once a week local musicians entertain diners at the Tyrolean buffet of local specialties from charcuterie to entrees, and my new favorite dessert—Kaiserschmarrn, a fluffy crepe served with a delicious berry preserve and plenty of powdered sugar. Are you hungry yet?

Kaisserschmarrn! Order this local specialty every chance you get. You’re welcome.

There’s nightly entertainment in the piano bar which is also open in the afternoon for coffee, drinks, and complimentary cakes. It’s a relaxing place to meet for a drink with your fellow guests before dining and after. Aperitivo time is part of the culture!

Part of the fun of staying at the Adler is making new friends. After a busy day, meet up in the bar for an aperitivo before dinner!

Rooms are large, airy and comfortable and many have balconies overlooking the expansive grounds– ours did.  The photos on the hotel’s website  adler-resorts.com are a good representation.

Here’s our room with a view! Fluffy robes and slippers, refreshing toiletries, soothing teas, water and local apples are provided.

Both times we’ve stayed we’ve had a view over the pools, the mountains beyond, and the lifts to the Alpe di Siusi—less than a 10 -minute walk from the Adler. It’s sometimes difficult to leave all this in the morning, but the mountains beckon!

Wouldn’t you love to wake up to this? The new sauna complex is just beyond the pools.
The gondola to Alpe di Siusi is just a short walk from the Adler and there is a car park if you’re just visiting for the day.

Europe’s largest alpine meadow, the Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm in German and Mont Seuc in Ladin), is crisscrossed with hiking trails, handy lifts to get you up and down if you get tired of hiking, and plenty of mountain bike trails.

Hiking, biking and spectacular views bring visitors to Europe’s largest Alpine Meadow from all over the world during summer and autumn.
Book a carriage ride for your sightseeing if you don’t want to hike.

The mountains in the Val Gardena are dotted with huttes– rustic restaurants where you can relax with a drink or a hearty meal. Some have a few rooms to rent.

You’ll find these rustic restaurants throughout the Dolomites. This is Sanon Hutte in the Alpe di Siusi.
A typical hutte lunch menu–hearty food is always on offer.

Part of the fun of hiking with a group from the Adler is the conviviality. We enjoyed a great group lunch at Sanon Hutte and thanks to my friend Claudia—Kaiserschmarrn for dessert! Some days we also just stopped for a coffee- during our trek or after. Lucky for us our German, Austrian and Italian friends spoke English and let me practice my Italian, too. Conversation was never lagging!

We shared lots of lunches, coffees and laughs together with our new friends.

We spent several days exploring different areas of the Alpe di Siuisi with and without guides. There are trails and loops at varying lengths and degree of difficulty and plenty of mountain biking trails– whichever you choose, the views are guaranteed to be spectacular!

Stunning scenery, like these views of the Sassolungo, make the Alpe di Siusi one of my favorite places to explore.
These are secretly the happiest cows– sorry California!

The gondola to Seceda and funicular to Resciesa are also just a 10-minute walk from the Adler- Dolomiti and will bring you to some of the most spectacular peaks in the Val Gardena.

So many choices– and they’re all amazing!

Seceda, at 8,200 feet, is part of the Odle Group and means needles in Ladin. The views are breathtaking!

A Seceda hike will make you feel like you’re on top of the world.
The modern funicular whisks you to Rescieda in minutes.
We were heading to the summit just as the clouds were lifting!
We had the trail mostly to ourselves in Resciesa.

We hiked Resciesa on our own one day and found ourselves in the clouds. The summit at Resciesa has a large cross on top– our goal. You’ll go left when you exit the funicular to hike here. There’s a hutte along the way, if you’d like to stop for a break, enjoy the views and soak up the serenity up here.

The Val Gardena has so much to offer and some of it is surprising! We visited Europe’s highest altitude rose garden in the neighboring town of Bulla, after a guided hike on a geo trail through the piney woods.  Who knew there would be a beautiful rose garden here? The roses at Rosarium Uhrenhof were having their second bloom and were robust in spite of the autumn chill. Admission to the garden is free but donations are welcome.

We hiked all kinds of trails in all sorts of conditions. The hotel’s complimentary hiking poles came in very handy, especially on the downhill slopes.
The Rosarium Uhrenhof is beautful even in the rain. Our guide, Pauli, showed us some of his favorite flowers.
The Dolomiti Rose was one of our favorite blooms.

Another day, we trekked along the Way of the Cross in Selva with our guide Alexander. After a relatively flat hike, we climbed to the ruins of the Wolkenstein Castle, which is built into the mountainside. Though we couldn’t enter, we enjoyed our picnic lunch on the “terrace” with amazing views over the valley.

Nearby Selva de Gardena is home to the ruined Wolkenstein Castle. It’s difficult to see from the path below but the trail to reach it is well signed.
Not everyone in our group chose to climb the narrow, rocky trail to the castle, but we did. There’s no pressure to do more than you’re comfortable with.
The castle is built right into the mountainside– a perfect defensive position!
The interior of the castle is posted but there are benches and stone walls you can sit on. Take in the views over the Val Gardena and relax for awhile.
Our guide Alexander shared lots of history, geography and local lore on our hikes.

While we saw lots of sheep and goats on our hikes, we also had an encounter with alpacas on our hike back from the Adler BBQ– which the hotel offers weekly (weather permitting) on Monte Pana.  If you stay at the Adler, sign up for the BBQ– it’s a great hike there and back and they serve a hearty, multi-course lunch of local specialties. Bonus– there’s Kaiserschmarrn for dessert!

Our chefs prepared an enormous pot of polenta, plus lots of local specialties from charcuterie to Kaiserschmarrn.
We may have been the only Americans here but everyone was really friendly and very patient with my halting Italian.
After lunch, many guests took time to relax and enjoy the splendid views from Monte Pana before hiking back to Ortesei. A shuttle bus was also available.
Alpacas! We passed a farm with these friendly animals on our hike back to Ortesei after a fun afternoon BBQ.

We also learned the basics of Nordic trekking in the Val D’Anna with a small group from the Adler and returned to the area on our own a few times.

If you’re hiking on your own, it’s handy to have Alltrails downloaded on your phone.

According to Alltrails.com, there are 54 hiking trails, 34 backpacking trails and 17 mountain biking trails in the Val Gardena. If you are setting out on your own, be sure to research current weather conditions (mountain weather can change quickly), difficulty of the hike, and bring necessary provisions with you.

Afternoons at the Adler include Aufguss. Different essences and music are pumped into the sauna for about 15 minutes for a super heated wellness experience led by an Aufgussmeister. Modesty note- swimsuits are discouraged.

We spent every day outdoors knowing that the Adler’s amazing spa awaited us after our exertions.  The big decision was whether to swim, sauna, take a class or just relax with a book.

Not pointing a finger at my husband, but I did hear some snoring during the very relaxing Tibetan sound bath!

We treated ourselves to a few well-deserved massages and enjoyed new to us experiences like the Tibetan Sound Baths and the relaxing salt grotto. Be sure to book some time for this semi-private therapeutic experience where you’ll float blissfully in an underground pool surrounded by salt walls.

Our friend Mario and his wife have been coming to the Adler for 25 years! We met at dinner our first night and hiked together many times during the week.

Many of the Italian and Austrian guests we’ve met return to the Adler annually.  One couple from Bergamo have been coming for 25 years!  We met one other American couple during our stay who were also returning guests. What a surprise to learn they were from San Diego, too! We hiked most days with the same small group of guests and formed friendships we know will last far longer than the vacation. 

Happy hikers! We’ve already booked our return to the Adler for next fall!
You won’t find scenery like this anywhere else. Go discover the Dolomites for yourself!

The exquisite beauty of the mountains, our new friendships, and the Adler’s outstanding hospitality will bring us back to Ortesei.  In fact, we’ve just finished booking our next visit and I’ll bet once you’ve experienced the Val Gardena and the dazzling Dolomites, you’ll return time and again, too!